


Love or Money?

by neld13



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: Betrayal, Deception, F/M, Love Island: The Game Season 2, Oneshot, player!Bobby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:48:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25328068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neld13/pseuds/neld13
Summary: What if Bobby isn't who we think he is?
Relationships: Bobby/MC
Comments: 41
Kudos: 54





	Love or Money?

**Author's Note:**

> HUGE thank you to Alicia and Esme who have known about the existence of this for the longest time and kept my secret ❤❤❤  
> Also thank you to Becky for her support of me and this story. And an extra thank you to all three of you for motivating me when I almost scrapped it. I love you all!!

Bobby’s eyes cracked open, peering into the darkness like every other morning. He always woke up before the lights came on. Even after a month in the Villa, for a split second he forgot where he was and a pang of panic shot through him when he felt Amanda shift beside him before the last twenty-nine days came flooding back to him, and he allowed himself the tiniest of smug smirks. The Love Island final, he’d made it. He’d worked out through several challenges and quiet conversations with new arrivals that he was a fan favourite, so he’d already been pretty certain that he was making it through to this. All he had to do now was win, and he just hoped he’d been convincing enough over his time in the Villa.

He probably could have genuinely gotten along with some of these people if he’d tried. But he didn’t try, not even a little bit. He wasn’t here to make friends, he wasn’t here to find love, he wasn’t here to form any kind of lasting connection with anyone whatsoever. He was here for money, before he ended up homeless, or worse; living with his parents. His _parents._ Who had warned him that buying a bar and trying to start his own business with no experience at his age was a bad idea. But he’d been saving since he was sixteen; he had the money and he had Dean and Louis helping him out. For the longest time he’d wanted to open a place similar to the bar his own band used to play at. He had planned to search for up and coming punk bands and offer live music and weekly open mics to try and kick Glasgow’s punk scene back into gear.

His parents had been right though, and it turned out running a bar and paying for gigs was more expensive than he’d initially thought, and now he was on the verge of losing everything, bordering on bankruptcy at twenty-four years of age. Love Island was his last resort, after being knocked back for loans left and right due to several defaults he’d accrued when he was slightly younger, slightly less responsible.

Before leaving the UK he’d worked on his jokster impression, come up with a reasonable backstory about an emotionally immature baking enthusiast doing admirable work in a hospital kitchen, and he’d entered the Villa with a fake smile on his face and a plan up his sleeve, amazed by the subpar background checking. It hadn’t even been that hard. Jonno’s phone number for his workplace, too easy.

He probably could have fallen for one of these girls; they were all gorgeous. Though their personalities were… lacking. Which really made it easy for him to not even try there either. He laughed at their stupid attempts at humour, he complimented the fake tits and fake tans and fake hair and frankly God awful makeup and outfit choices whenever it seemed like it was needed. He only needed one to believe him, but it didn’t take him long to realise that he’d managed to fool all of them.

That damn mean tweet challenge was the first time he almost faltered. Was he the biggest player of the season? Maybe. Was he worse than Rocco? Probably. Could he risk the seed of doubt being planted in any of the other Islanders’ heads? Absolutely not. So he’d played it off as best he could and had crossed his fingers and hoped to hell that his vague response would suffice, and it had. Good God these people were stupid. The producers had clearly been focused on looks and not brains when they’d cast this season.

He glanced over at Amanda still sleeping peacefully beside him. He’d been right to step forward for her on that first day. He’d still been debating whether or not he would step forward for any of the girls, or play hard to get and just hope that one of them liked goofy guys when she stepped out of the Villa, and it was a spur of the moment decision that paid off.

When Priya came and partnered up with him, he had made sure to give the impression that he still wanted Amanda. He couldn’t have this new girl fucking up the progress he’d already made with her, and he needed a backup plan in case Priya wound up liking someone else more. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew all the other lads were better looking, taller, and more well built than him. He really needed to turn on the charm if he was to have any hope against them. He was definitely winning in the personality department with them as well though. There were a few days there where he thought he might actually have liked Gary a little, until he’d had a go at him after the first recoupling for choosing Amanda. Bobby had beaten Gary to the punch, even though all the guys had spoken about it beforehand and Gary had revealed that he was planning to choose her.

She’d come to Bobby though, telling him outright that she wanted him to pick her, and then complimenting his hands. His _hands._ As though saying he had nice hands was going to be enough to make him fall for her. It all worked in his favour though and they were together right up until the disaster recoupling before Casa Amor. Bobby had been livid when Henrik chose her, but he couldn’t really blame him. Hadn’t he done the same thing to Gary only a couple of weeks before? Besides, Jakub had thrown the entire Villa into chaos, so he supposed he understood Henrik’s sudden impulse to have a crack.

He’d smirked over at the blonde when Amanda had come to him first, to reassure him that they were still okay, and he knew he had her. Someone else had chosen her, but she wasn’t having any of it. Being coupled up with Marisol was a relief. He hadn’t had to pretend to be into her, or suffer through speeches about how much she cared for him, or reciprocate kisses that were boring at best. He could almost be himself. _Almost._

Casa Amor was confusing, it was probably the most rattled he'd been in the Villa. He'd been _so_ tempted to switch to one of those girls, they were hot and they were desperate to couple up with whoever showed an inkling of interest, just to make it into the main Villa. But something was a little off about them. The way they tried so hard to turn his head and the way they spoke about Amanda. All full of nerves while they told him she was playing him, she wasn't loyal, she was cracking on with everyone else while he wasn't looking. He'd subtly pulled each of the guys aside and managed to work out through manipulating the direction of the conversation that Amanda had barely spent any time alone with any of them, much less had a crack. Gary and Henrik had both confessed to him that they'd tried to turn her head in the beginning, but she was already smitten with Bobby and wasn't having any of it.

So he'd stuck, and was pleased to find that she had done the same. First chance they had, they were back together and now they were going to finish together. They were going to _win_ together, he was sure of it.

He had a new challenge now, though. He didn't want to have to resort to sleeping with her, and until now he'd been able to play at being shy and not wanting to get physical with cameras and other people around. But she was getting increasingly handsy, and what used to just be quick kisses that were easy to cut short were now her attempts at making out and groping him. Just the morning before she'd woken up early with him and disappeared under the blankets to try and suck him off, and he'd mumbled some excuse about needing the bathroom and just not returned to the bedroom until the lights came on. She hadn't mentioned it again, and he wondered just how desperate this girl must be to smile and carry on after that level of avoidance. Desperate, or just blissful in her absolute stupidity and ignorance.

He groaned inwardly as she stirred beside him again, and then braced himself for facing another day with her by his side. His _last_ day. She stretched out and then snuggled against his side, nuzzling her head into his chest. As though on autopilot he wound his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

"Morning."

She murmured, her hand tracing shapes on his chest and moving south so very slowly. He caught her hand before it could travel too far and kissed the back of it.

"Mornin'. Lights'll be on soon."

He prayed for them to flick on and save him. His prayers were answered when a second later the room was flooded in light, and he fought back his sigh of relief and removed his arm from around her.

“I can’t believe we’ve made it to the final!”

Amanda exclaimed and Bobby grinned at her and nodded.

“Right? Last night was wild, but I’m glad I’m still here with you.”

_Gag._

She smiled at him and pressed a light kiss to his lips, a kiss that he was quick to end by pulling back and sitting up in bed. As usual, she didn’t notice and sat up beside him, just as Chelsea did the same in the bed beside them.

“Oh my gosh, you guys. I’m so glad you’re awake. I need someone to celebrate with. It’s finals day! I haven’t been this excited since I went out for my-”

Bobby zoned out, realising Chelsea was about to launch into one of her unnecessarily long, overly enthusiastic stories. She was a sweet enough girl, probably one of his favourites in the Villa, but still if he didn’t have to live with her, he’d have told her where she could shove her endless droning within a day of meeting her.

“That sounds like you’re worried about the final.”

Amanda’s voice beside him dragged him away from his happy place and he blinked over at her, trying to figure out what she was talking about. He listened half heartedly to the rest of the conversation, while also trying to work out whether he could be bothered cooking breakfast for everyone today. He’d done it almost every morning since the beginning of their time in the Villa, and he supposed he should do it one last time. He reminded himself that even if he and Amanda won, there was still a chance that she would pick the envelope containing the money, and he needed to stay on her good side enough for her to want to share it with him. £25,000 wasn’t what he’d come for, but it was sure as hell better than the nothing he’d end up with if he blew his cover now.

“Did I just hear someone say ‘final’? As in, final day in the Villa? As in, final day sharing a room with loads of horny couples? As in, the gosh-darn Love Island final we’re all in together?”

Hope rambled across the room, and Bobby subtly rolled his eyes. That woman. He would feel bad for Noah if the bloke wasn’t such an incredible bore himself. Maybe he needed someone like Hope to encourage him to grow his own set of balls.

Bobby pulled himself out of bed just as Amanda started telling everyone how excited she was to get him home and introduce him to her friends, and he cringed inwardly then looked up in surprise when Chelsea announced that she and Amanda would be cooking breakfast.

_Oh, fuck yes. First damn morning off since we’ve been here._

He stretched his arms over his head, giving Amanda a soft smile when she kissed his cheek before skipping out of the room with Chelsea, and then made his way to the dressing room. He stepped into the shower cubicle and dropped his boxers, finally allowing himself the proper eye roll and cringe he’d held back in front of the other Islanders as the hot water hit his back. He could hear the girls chattering from their dressing room, and he could hear the low murmurs of the other men talking quietly in theirs, and it finally hit him that this was the last shower he was going to have to take that carried with it the risk that someone would try to start up a conversation with him while he was scrubbing his balls. The realisation made him so suddenly happy that he almost started singing, until Gary stepped into the room.

“Hey Bobs. You doin’ alright today mate?”

Bobby rolled his eyes, clinging onto the knowledge that he wouldn’t have to see this man ever again after today.

“Aye, it’s the final isn’t it? Doin’ more than alright.”

“Too right, I can’t believe we made it!”

He heard the cubicle door beside him open, and quickly finished off his own shower and switched the water off, just as Gary turned his on. Having a conversation with him while they _both_ had a handful of balls was too far.

“It’s wild, I didn’t even think I’d get picked for the show, and here I am in the final!”

Bobby gushed, sticking to the insecure persona he’d portrayed for the entire season. It was almost becoming second nature now, and he was grateful that he’d be able to permanently lose this shy, awkward, baker before he started actually turning into him. He was already going to cop shit from the lads once he got home, he could only imagine how bad it’d be if the act somehow carried on beyond the show.

He stopped at the mirror and inspected his face, deciding against a shave. Maybe the light stubble would put Amanda off of kissing him as much as she had been lately. In any other situation, he’d be all over her. Because in any other situation he wouldn’t have to live with her, waking up next to her day after day, and he wouldn’t have to pretend to be falling in love with her. As it was, he needed to keep her just close enough, just short of being at arm’s length. He needed her to keep seeing him the way she had been just for this one last day, but he didn’t want to lead her on too badly and absolutely destroy her when he either took the money, or broke up with her the second he got his half.

He knew she was going to be hurt either way. He wasn’t a monster, and he even felt a little guilty about what he knew was coming if they won. He’d tried several times to predict how it would go if he got the money but he found it was difficult for him to know what he’d say, or what she would say. He only knew that she was going to be pissed, and he needed to be prepared for most, if not all of the other Islanders to be pissed as well. He had also tried to mentally prepare himself for the press and the questions he’d be asked once it was all over. He’d never actually watched the show before, so he had no idea whether or not taking the money was something that people actually did, or if it had ever been done before. If not, he suspected that a lot of people in the UK were going to hate on him for it.

Once he’d splashed on a little cologne and pulled on his swimming trunks he headed out towards the kitchen to see how big of a disaster the girls were creating in there, calling out a goodbye to Gary as he walked through the door.

“I hope you’re hungry!”

Chelsea called cheerfully as he stepped into the outdoor kitchen, and he eyed off the food as she and Amanda piled it onto the plates. It actually looked pretty good, and for maybe the first time all summer he was pleasantly surprised.

“You’ve outdone yourselves.”

He complimented with a grin, shooting Chelsea a wink and stepping behind Amanda, winding his arms around her waist as she finished up and pushed the plates to the other side of the bench for the Islanders to grab.

“FOOD’S UP!”

Chelsea yelled, and Amanda chuckled when Bobby buried his face into her neck to get away from the shrill noise.

“Jesus she’s loud.”

He murmured before pulling away and pressing a kiss to her cheek. Amanda handed him a plate just as everyone else filed into the kitchen, and they all made themselves comfortable around the long dining table, silence taking over for a few blissful minutes as they tucked into their food.

“It was so nice of you two to do this for us.”

Hope finally spoke.

“Well I mean, I just thought when’s the next time we’re going to have a chance to do this, you know?”

Chelsea replied, almost tearfully, and Hope reached over the table to pat her on the hand lightly.

“Babe, it’s not the end. Don’t think like that.”

Bobby almost choked on his food.

 _Not the end? Dear God, don’t think like_ that.

“Why don’t we all agree now that we’re going to get together for brunch again soon. We could set up a group chat. Love Island Finalists Brunch Dates.”

Hope continued, and Lottie nodded her head enthusiastically, her elbows coming to rest on the table as she leaned in to join the conversation.

“And then the fry up emoji, to commemorate this occasion.”

_Yeah. Gonna not be doing that._

Bobby zoned out again as a small argument about whether or not a fry up emoji existed ensued, until he felt Amanda’s hand on his shoulder and he turned his head to find her smiling at him, realising that the conversation had shifted to what everyone was most looking forward to once they were out of the Villa. He smiled back and wound his arm around her waist, pulling her a little closer to him.

“What about you, Amanda? What are you most looking forward to?”

He asked, pushing his now empty plate slightly away with his other hand.

“ _Finally_ getting some alone time with you.”

She answered without hesitation, and he chuckled.

“Can you see me blushing? But… yeah, that’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say.”

Her cheeks subtly flushed pink and she grinned at him.

“It’s going to be strange to… do bits without having to hide under a duvet in case you guys watch.”

Hope confessed, though Bobby thought the smirk on her face gave away the possibility that maybe she was more into people watching than she liked to admit. But who the hell would want to watch her?

“The first thing I’m going to do is take a shower without anyone else barging into the bathroom.”

Gary declared, making Bobby laugh.

“Mate, I was thinking that exact thing just before, and then you barged in on me.”

“Are you sure you don’t want anyone barging in? Because barging in on you showering is actually top of my list of things to do when I leave.”

Lottie asked, side eyeing Gary and making him squirm uncomfortably. She winked, but he gave her a small frown.

“Depends how you shower, to be honest.”

Lottie looked absolutely offended, and Bobby picked up his glass and took a long drink of water to keep from laughing in her face.

“What!?”

She asked indignantly, and Gary shrugged.

“You know, some people shower in really weird ways, I’ve had problems with that before. Like if you’re one of those people that faces the inside of the shower and has water straight in their face the whole time, I’m out.”

This time Bobby couldn’t hold back his laugh, and he received Amanda’s elbow to the ribs when she heard him.

_Mate. If you’re worried about which way a bird’s facing when she’s naked in the shower with you, you’ve got problems._

“I don’t even think that’s real. People only do that in the movies so you can’t see their bits.”

Lottie argued, and Bobby groaned inwardly to himself. The senseless chatter… it just never ended.

“I don’t think I mind how Amanda showers, to be honest. It’s not exactly the washing that I’m going to be thinking about once we’re in there together.”

He announced, causing a deep blush to cross Amanda’s face and everyone else to fall quiet. Finally.

“And now everyone else is thinking about you two in the shower…”

Hope broke the silence, the same barely concealed smirk on her face. Bobby winked at her before getting to his feet and gathering up the empty plates from the table.

“You’re welcome.”

He replied with a grin, taking the pile of plates back to the kitchen and leaving them to their chit chat. By the time he was done clearing up the dishes, everyone else had dispersed to either the pool or the gym, and he stood in the middle of the kitchen for a moment, drumming his hands on his hips and looking aimlessly around the Villa. He knew he had to make an effort to spend time with them today, especially Amanda, but she was hanging out beside the pool giggling away with Chelsea and he didn’t want to interrupt what could possibly be the last few moments of carefree girl time they got. At least that was the excuse he would give her if she asked where he’d gotten to. So he slumped himself down on one of the daybeds, pulling his shades over his closed eyes and relaxing in the Spanish sun while he still could. He’d soon be getting rained on back in Glasgow, and the sun was definitely a part of this summer that he was going to miss so he decided he might as well enjoy it while he could. He was close to falling into a nap when he heard a text chime out from beside the pool, and he reluctantly opened his eyes as Chelsea called out that she had a text.

He got to his feet with a sigh, then shook himself back awake and trotted over to the two girls, taking a seat beside Amanda and slinging an arm around her shoulders.

“What’s it say?”

Henrik asked once everyone else had gathered around. Chelsea lifted her phone and read out the text.

“Islanders, your time on Love Island will soon be coming to an end. Please pack your bags and get ready to leave the Villa, then gather at the firepit… #bigfinish #exitpursuedbyabear #winnerwinnerchickendinner.”

She finished reading and looked up with a grin.

“It’s almost time!”

She squealed before getting to her feet, grabbing Amanda’s hand and hauling her up beside her.

\--

Bobby found that he was nervous as he sat at the firepit with Gary, Henrik and Noah. They were waiting on the girls who, as usual, were taking their sweet time doing anything at all and causing everything to be dragged out much longer than it needed to be. The atmosphere in the bedroom was a combination of exciting and tense, and when the boys had moved to their dressing room to finish up packing their stuff, it had turned surprisingly sombre. Once the excitement of talking about Adventure Golf had subsided, it seemed to hit all the guys at once that this was it, and Gary became weirdly emotional. He looked close to tears, Henrik seemed to get depressed and hyperactive all at once, and even Noah seemed to be a different kind of brooding. Bobby matched their weird moods, both excited that it was finally coming to an end, and nervous that his acting all summer could still have been for nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. But not exactly twenty-five or fifty grand, either.

He stared into the flames in front of him as the girls’ excited voices and the sounds of their heels clicking grew closer and tried again to work out what he was going to say to Amanda. He hadn’t found it hard to remain disconnected from her, but at the same time he was about to single handedly ruin her entire summer and put an end to what he’d convinced her she had in him, and a small, _small_ part of him was dreading it. But he kept reminding himself that Dean and Louis were counting on him, they were ready and waiting for him to get home and get back to business. And the alternative was moving in with his parents and hearing over and over again how badly he’d screwed up and why doesn’t he ever listen to them? No, he had to do this. He had to be selfish and take care of number one. That was the whole reason he’d come on this ridiculous show, and he’d come too far to back out and change his mind now.

Amanda sat down beside him with a smile and clasped his hand in hers, and he lifted it to his face to kiss the back of it. He listened as though he was underwater and completely separated from the situation as the others murmured nervously about their time in the Villa, but he was hyper-focused on Amanda’s hand in his, her palms just as sweaty as his but for a different reason, he knew. Finally a phone chimed out and he took a deep breath, looking up to see Lottie unlocking her phone. She looked around the group nervously and then her eyes shifted down to her phone to read.

“Islanders, the public have been voting for their favourite couples. The time has come to reveal the results of this year’s Love Island final.”

_Of course they’re going to drag it out even further._

Hope jumped when her phone beeped.

“Oh gosh, here we go. ‘In fourth place, and first to exit the Villa is…’”

She trailed off and looked around, and Bobby groaned as Amanda’s hand tightened on his.

 _Just get_ on _with it._

Noah grabbed his phone before the notification had even finished sounding out and quickly read out his message.

“Chelsea and Henrik.”

Bobby let out the breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding in relief, and Hope started clapping. 

“Well done, guys!”

Bobby watched as Chelsea and Henrik both stood and shared a kiss.

“Someone had to come fourth.”

Henrik said, not sounding at all disappointed and Bobby was almost a little jealous that this was probably not as nerve racking for the people who were legitimately here to find someone. For him, if he and Amanda didn’t win, he was going to be beyond disappointed. He briefly wondered how it would feel if he’d let himself get close to someone here and wasn’t actually worried about winning the money or not. He snapped back to reality as Chelsea kissed Henrik again and they made their way back through the Villa hand in hand.

“We’re one step closer.”

He murmured to Amanda, who just gave a small nod in response and squeezed his hand again. Silence fell around the group for another few moments before he felt Amanda’s phone vibrate at his side.

“In third place, and next to exit the Villa is…”

The pause was even longer than the last, and Bobby was quickly growing tired of the suspense. Finally Hope stood up as her phone dinged.

“Lottie and Gary.”

Gary let out a long sigh, patting Bobby on the shoulder before turning to Lottie and pulling her into a kiss. He could barely sit still to listen as they said their goodbyes and walked away from the fire pit, and his eyes darted from Amanda to Hope and Noah sitting across from them. It was going to be close, he knew. And it was probably his own fault after making such a song and dance about what a good couple the other two were after Operation Nope. The roar of a crowd could be heard in the distance and Hope sucked in a breath.

“Oh gosh, that must be them walking out.”

“I can’t go out in front of a crowd, I’m so nervous.”

Amanda admitted, and Bobby let go of her hand to wrap an arm around her and pulled her up against him.

“You’re going to be fine. Everyone’s going to be backing us. We’re going to walk out there and all you’re going to see is your friends and family cheering for you, and then all my friends and family cheering for you too. You won’t know what they look like obviously, but they’re going to be so happy to meet you.”

He caught himself rambling as he tried to reassure her, hoping it sounded more convincing than it felt. He was dreading facing the crowd himself, but not simply because of stage fright. Because he knew that he was going to stand up there in front of all those people and all those cameras and completely humiliate her and break her heart with one sentence.

“Bobby’s right. Walking out there is going to feel amazing.”

Noah agreed, and Bobby shot him a grateful smile.

“I guess the only question is, who is going to walk out there first?”

Hope asked as Amanda relaxed a little more against Bobby, while his stomach tightened into a smaller knot. Right on cue, her phone beeped the second she finished talking. She hesitated before unlocking her phone.

“Oh my gosh, this is it. ‘Hope and Noah, Amanda and Bobby, congratulations on being the final two couples of this year’s Love Island. The public have been watching your every move, and they have loved every minute. Now, the time has come to reveal the final results. The winners of this year’s Love Island are…”

She trailed off and Bobby fought the urge to swear in frustration. The four of them looked between each other, hearts pounding and barely breathing as they waited for the final text. Hope’s phone beeped again and she checked her screen, her expression cracking into a massive grin.

“Amanda and Bobby.”

Bobby stared at her, mouth hanging open and speechless, even as he felt Amanda turn to him and wrap her arms tightly around him. They’d actually fucking done it! He finally turned to face her, his mouth stretched into the first genuine grin of the season.

“Amanda… we won!”

She grinned back and let out a short giggle before kissing him, and for once he didn’t even have to force himself to return it. He was practically bursting with happiness and relief, he needed to expel some of it somehow.

“You two totally deserve this. Now get out there and meet your fans!”

Hope’s voice interrupted them, and they both grinned at her before getting to their feet, fingers still entwined together as they headed for the front door.

The sounds of the crowd got louder as they got closer to the door, and Bobby’s nerves came back all too soon. He hesitated at the door, and Amanda stopped with her hand on the handle, looking back at him questioningly.

“You okay?”

She asked.

“Yeah. I just can’t believe we won.”

She grinned at him and pulled him closer to the door with her.

“It’s crazy right?”

She turned back to open the door, and he had another surge of conscience and opened his mouth to tell her to stop. He had to remind himself once again of the reason he’d come here, and he closed it again as she pushed the door open and they stepped outside together.

“Either way, it’s been a hell of a summer.”

He murmured to her, and she gave him a small nod, only just hearing him over the roar of the crowd in front of them. Bobby’s eyes immediately found Dean and Louis in the crowd, smiling wide and clapping for him, Dean offering a wink and a thumbs up when he caught his eye. He saw Amanda waving in a different direction and figured that she’d found her family right away, and guilt stabbed at him again at the thought of her being let down so publicly and in front of the people she loved the most.

They walked to the front of the stage that had been set up in front of a huge screen at the front of the villa, smiling at the crowd and still holding hands when a voice boomed out from speakers behind them.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your Love Island winners… Amanda and Bobby!”

Cheers and applause rang out again, and Amanda turned to kiss Bobby again, a kiss that he barely returned now that everything was over and he was standing up in front of everyone with her, about to screw her over. The speaker sounded out again and the crowd hushed.

“There’s plenty more drama to come. But first, it’s fair to say that everyone here has loved watching the two of you on our screens every night and now it’s time to relive some of our favourite moments from the last few weeks. Please turn your attention to the screen, because… Amanda and Bobby, these are your Love Island Best Bits!”

Amanda laughed and turned to the screen, and Bobby’s heart leapt into his throat as he turned to look at the screen as their time on Love Island began playing. What if he’d been too obvious? What if he’d accidentally let his intentions slip to one of the Casa Amor girls? What if he’d looked _too_ unenthusiastic when he’d thought no one was watching and they caught it on camera? What if they were about to blow his entire plan, and she ended up with the envelope containing the money, and told him to go fuck himself?

_Relax, McKenzie. You wouldn’t have won if the public knew. You can’t have been too obvious._

Sure enough, the video was a lot of cute moments caught on camera of him and Amanda, a few times that Gary and Henrik tried and failed to turn her head, and some footage of the Casa Amor girls and guys having a crack but being promptly turned down by both of them. Amanda grinned over at him as the video came to an end and leaned in to whisper into his ear.

“We were perfect right from the start.”

She kissed him before giving him a chance to answer, if he even knew what he would say to that, and he forced himself to kiss her back. Apparently now he wasn’t as convincing though, and she gave him a strange look when she pulled away. She opened her mouth to say something but before she could get anything out, the voice boomed out from the speakers again.

“Amanda and Bobby, there’s still one final challenge you must face together. In the final test, will you choose love or money? Please take your places either side of the podium.”

They glanced at each other and did as instructed, and Bobby wiped his palms on his shorts as he stook across from her, his eyes darting between hers and the envelopes in front of them. This was it. This was his endgame. This dictated whether he needed to keep up the charade just long enough to get his share of the money, or whether he could just be done with the whole act now and get back to his life. Amanda smiled at him as both of their phones beeped simultaneously, and Bobby opened his to read the message.

_Amanda and Bobby, welcome to the final challenge. On a podium in front of you are two envelopes. One contains £50,000. The other is empty. You must each choose one envelope. The person who holds the envelope with £50,000 will then choose whether they will share the money with their partner, or keep it all for themselves._

_#loveormoney #splitthebill_

“Ladies first.”

He said with a grin, gesturing toward the envelopes in front of them, and she smiled and picked up the one closest to her. He picked up the one in front of him, his heart beating so hard he was afraid she was going to hear it even over the sounds of the crowd murmuring quietly. They ripped their envelopes open at the same time, and he heard Amanda sigh just as his eyes landed on the shimmering gold numbers written on the card in his envelope.

_Holy. Shit. I actually got it._

He glanced back up at Amanda, who was looking back at him with a soft smile on her face. She trusted him completely, he realised. She had _no_ fucking idea. She held her empty envelope up to him with a shrug, and then let it fall to the ground. His phone beeped once more and he lifted it to read the message.

_Bobby, now you need to make the biggest decision of all. Do you want to split the £50,000 with Amanda? Or keep it all for yourself?_

He took a deep breath and looked up at Amanda, who’s smile finally faltered. She tilted her head slightly, trying to figure out his sudden change in demeanor, and then realisation dawned in her eyes.

_She knows, McKenzie. She’s worked it out, just do it. Just rip the fucking bandaid off._

He glanced out toward the crowd, then back at Amanda. She at least deserved for him to look at her while he crushed everything she thought they’d built over the last thirty days. He cleared his throat.

“I’m going to take the money.”

Her face fell and she shook her head slightly.

“You’re what?”

She asked quietly, and he forced himself to stand up straighter and repeat himself louder. There was no point being a pussy about it, he still had his mic on, everyone could hear him anyway.

“I said, I’m taking the money.”

“I heard you.”

Amanda snapped over the top of him.

“I was just giving you a chance to change your answer.”

Bobby shook his head and stepped back away from the podium.

“This was always going to be my answer.”

“And what if I’d got the money, huh? You would’ve waited for me to split it and then broken up with me?”

So maybe she wasn’t as stupid as he’d thought. He gave a small shrug, trying to remain disconnected. If he let himself show how guilty he felt, he’d break down.

“Pretty much.”

“You-”

She cut herself off and walked around the podium to stand right in front of him, leaning up into him, her face inches from his.

“You’re a prick.”

“I never tried to tell you otherwise, love.”

He replied, and she huffed out in frustration. She wanted him to crack, he knew it. She wanted an ounce of emotion from him so that she could convince herself that he had, at one point at least, actually cared for her. But he wasn’t willing to give it. She glared at him for a moment longer and then turned and stormed off the stage, leaving him alone. Alone, in front of all the people he’d fooled over the summer, all staring back at him dumbfounded. Alone, but in possession of the prize he’d come for.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Thoughts, feelings, concerns? Good or bad, you can find me on Reddit u/ffkatbee and my inbox is always open!


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